Drip
by ThoseShadows
Summary: This was only the second case SPR has taken on since Naru and Lin returned from England. The first case went so smoothly and quickly that I genuinely believed SPR was untouchable. Sure, we might get banged up now and again (some of us more than others…), but everything always turned out okay in the end. We are all professionals, after all! What a fool I was.
I tend to fall asleep at the most inopportune moments. Honestly, I can sleep pretty much anywhere. This is a fact that my colleagues and fellow supernatural enthusiasts at Shibuya Paranormal Research Center have long come to accept (however begrudgingly). My boss, the infamous Dr. Oliver Davis (to whom I _affectionately_ refer to as Naru on account of his unremitting narcissism), used to chastise me for falling asleep during cases. God, I hate him.

Just kidding, that's a lie. I'm relentlessly in love with that stupid narcissist. That stupid, _stupid, STUPID_ gorgeous narcissist… Though he would be quick to point out that it is I, Mai Taniyama, who is in fact the stupid one. Just his stupid, blundering secretary whose principal duty is to sort through his case files and drop everything at a moment's notice to put on a kettle for tea. You know, for when His Highness's cup runneth dry. Ha. The worst thing about him is that his narcissism isn't even unwarranted; he's literally perfect. Superior in looks, intellect, and the bearer of the world's arguably most powerful psychokinesis to boot, it's no wonder he thinks so much of himself. At age 18 he's probably already accomplished more than I ever will in my entire life.

No, Naru would never fall asleep in the middle of a case. He would never be that irresponsible or reckless…unlike me, who is basically a walking, talking accident waiting to happen with a penchant to snooze. He probably thought my sleeping spells were just glorified naps, until one day they proved to be somewhat useful. When I sleep, I dream. And turns out, when I dream, I see, hear, and feel things others can't—something Naru refers to as 'latent sensitivity.' It's been known to help solve a case or five! Though Naru would hardly admit it, I know he actually valued my contributions to cases, even if it meant he had to pay me to sleep on the job.

So why can't I fall asleep _now?_

I can only imagine the lecture Naru will give me when he finds me, arms shackled above my head to the cold, damp stone walls of the cell, my toes barely brushing the floor. I have no idea how long I have been here. Minutes, hours, it really doesn't matter when both of your arms are completely numb, your shoulder sockets are twisted at an unnatural angle, and your feet offer no reprieve because you're too short to reach the floor. Whoever built this cell really didn't think to accommodate short guests. Rude.

This was only the second case SPR has taken on since Naru and Lin returned from England. I am honestly shocked they came back at all; I thought coming back to the country where his twin brother was brutally murdered would be too painful, even for the callous narcissist. Regardless, I was overjoyed when he returned and ready to take on a new slew of cases. The first case went so smoothly and quickly that I genuinely believed SPR was untouchable. I might go as far to say that my ego inflated to the size of Naru's. Sure, we might get banged up now and again (some of us more than others…), but everything always turned out okay in the end. We are all professionals, after all!

What a fool I was.

I squeeze my eyes shut, both praying for rescue and in a futile attempt to fall asleep. _Naru…_ He'll find me. He always finds me. He always comes back for me. I attempt to block out any distractions that might be keeping me awake. There is a steady but maddening _dripdripdrip_ directly to my left. I'd like to hope it was water, but judging by the dark, thick liquid pooling by my feet and the rancid smell of decay, something tells me it is blood. A _lot_ of blood. I refuse to look up to see where it is coming from.

A few minutes go by. I think. The longer I hang from the wall alone in this empty cell, the more panic I feel building in my chest. The walls seem to be closing in around me and I am finding it hard to breathe. My entire body aches. I hang my head, both disheartened and too tired to hold it up anymore.

' _Naru, please…'_ I think to myself. _'I promise I'll never do anything stupid again and I will never complain about having to make you tea, just please… Please…'_ I hear Naru's snort of derision in my head, accompanied by his voice echoing something along the lines of _'the day you cease to be stupid and stop complaining is the same day I will consider myself unattractive.'_ In spite of my current situation, I find myself giggling. He's an ass even in my own fantasies. In the midst of my laughing, I lift my head towards the door, expecting Naru to be leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed with some magical skeleton key in hand. But there is no one. Fear and dread consume me again brusquely, disrupting my already unsteady breathing even worse. I stop laughing and resume hanging limply from the wall in silence. I can't believe I actually forgot Naru wasn't in the cell with me... Stupid me and my stupid optimism and my stupid _stupid_ wishful thinking...

My clouded mind begins to wander. Images of Naru creep into my mind, offering me a few moments of peace.I really do love him. More than I have ever loved anyone. He might be an annoying, narcissistic asshole, but somehow…he makes it endearing. He's more than narcissistic. He is strong, passionate, and believe it or not, one of the most compassionate people I have ever met. He doesn't show it very well (lack of social skills may be his only shortcoming), but I know he cares about all of SPR in his own, Naru way. If he were here with me right now, he would try to comfort me. He did on the school hexer case, even if it was one of the weirdest things I have ever seen. Naru is the only man who could make me feel emotionally attached to a simple yen.

That's why I know he is coming for me. And when he does, I am telling him how I feel, even if he rejects me again like he did before running back to England. How dare he accuse me of loving his dead brother?

' _If you come find me now I will even be willing to forgive you for_ that, _Naru…'_ I exhale gently, mind still focused on him. Between my thoughts of Naru and the steady _dripdripdrip,_ I somehow manage to fall asleep.

* * *

I open my eyes to find myself staring into the torch-lit corridor that led to my prison cell. I am chain-free. It is lined with several metal doors each with a small grated window near the top, which I presume are other prison cells. Out of the corner of my left eye, a dark shadow passes by, accompanied with the sound of chains dragging against stone and an arduous groan. Another one shot by me on my right. I turn my head to survey the entire corridor, observing six dark shadows in total creeping up and down the walls and across the ceiling. The space echoed with an endless scraping and moaning. It was enough to drive a person mad. I cover my ears and squeeze my eyes shut, falling to me knees to make myself as small as possible. I crouch in on myself, trying to make it all go away, but it's only getting worse.

I feel a warm drip hit my head, but I pass it off as nothing. But then another drip falls. And another. And another. And then, a steady stream of hot liquid is pouring down on top of me. I take one hand off an ear and reach up to touch my hair, squishing it between my fingers a bit, and bring it back down in front of me in order to scrutinize the substance. My stomach churned. It was bright red, fresh blood. I quickly shoot up to my feet with a shriek, backing up a bit to look up at the ceiling to find the source of the blood. Above me gathered the shadows, which I now notice left smears of blood all over the corridor halls. Each shadow appears to be dripping blood—no, each shadow actually _is_ a pool of blood! The sanguine streams eventually trickle down into the shape of various bloody human appendages which lash about, trying to grab on to me. The groaning grows louder with every passing second, changing from senseless noise to a chorus of _'help me…'_ and _'Run Mai…'_

…

Could these be the souls of previous victims? And if so, what _happened_ to them to make them gush blood for the rest of eternity? And how the hell do they know my name? I shudder at the thought. I wrap my arms around myself tightly and close my eyes again, trying desperately to alter my dreamscape. I can't take it anymore.

 _"Gene!"_ I shout. He has to get me out of here. Surely he was the one who brought me here in the first place. "Please! I get it! Just, please, make it stop!"

The following silence was deafening. I blink a few times, confused for a moment. I stand up straight and look around. Nothing but darkness. I don't know how, but I can just tell something is going to happen soon. Something bad. I can feel it.

"Gene?" I call out. "Are you here?" As if right on cue, I feel a spirit's presence and immediately turn my head to look for the origin. Behind me stands Gene, his back turned from me. "Gene, what's going on?" No response. I sigh impatiently. "Gene, why won't you answer me?" Nothing. For the first time, I grow irritated at his spirit. My life is actually in danger and he chooses now to be a cryptic asshole like his brother. "Will you _at least_ tell me what those spirits were? No?" I fold my arms and tap my foot impatiently. "Fine. Yes or no, were those spirits people who have died here?" Gene nodded. Finally.

I take a few steps closer to him. As if sensing my approach, Gene begins to walk away into the darkness.

"Gene, what the hell!" I continue after him. "Where are we going? Ugh!" I stomp my feet as I follow him. "Is there something you need me to see?"

Without stopping, he nods again, fading away into the darkness. Oh hell no. I try to take off running after him, except the moment my foot hits the ground, I lose my footing and find myself falling into darkness and screaming shrilly. I make impact with the ground once again, magically landing on my feet for once. I am in a prison cell very similar to my own. However, this one was much better lit with torches on all four walls so I could see all of its contents. My eyes grow wide and my heart stops.

 _Naru_ was one of its contents. He is chained up like I was, but at least his feet touch the ground… Lucky. His black shirt has been ripped off him, exposing his pale torso, which to my horror is now covered in dark bruising, a few bleeding cuts, and an unsettling amount of blood I don't think actually belongs to him. My mouth goes dry.

" _Naru!_ " I lunge toward him to help him escape. Ha, maybe I'll get to do the saving this time! But as I reach out to wrap my arms around him, they go straight through him like I not even there. I try again, but with the same results. My eyes brim with tears. How could I forget this was a dream?

' _You promised me earlier you wouldn't do anything stupid ever again, see how long_ that _lasted?'_ My chastising fantasy Naru chimed. I could hear that stupid, sexy smirk of his in his voice. God damn it. _'And quit your crying, you're not a child.'_ Am I crying? Oh, I guess so. Oops…

My thoughts are interrupted by Naru's gasping breath. He sounds exhausted, almost like breathing is too demanding. I take a few steps back from him and scan him head to toe. He is almost unrecognizable. His usually intense dark blue eyes are bloodshot and full of panic, staring at nothing; his textbook composure has completely vanished; his hair is a mess; his body is shaking so badly it is bordering on convulsing. He looks broken, and I can't take it. I sink to the floor and bury my face in my hands, letting out heaving sobs. What if Naru is _dying_ and I'm not doing enough to save him? At this thought I choke on my tears and sob harder.

Maybe I can stop this. Maybe this hasn't happened yet and Gene is showing me how I can free him. Yes, that makes perfect sense! I wipe my snotty face on my arm and wipe it on my pants, slowly bringing myself to stand up. Now what? I look around the cell for any clues—a key, something I could eventually use to cut his chains, anything—that could help me get him out. Instead, I find a table littered with human appendages. I immediately look away as my stomach empties itself of its contents. And then some. Seriously, I still have to throw up in dreams, too?

I glance at the table again long enough to take inventory: two bloody legs (one long and muscular and one long and slender—one from a tall man and woman, I think); three pairs of mutilated arms, and two exsanguinated hands clasping a very familiar object. It almost feels like it is calling out to me to notice it. So, against my better judgement, I cover my nose and mouth with a hand and approach the table to get a better look. The set of hands are indeed holding something I recognize— _a Catholic rosary._

My whole body freezes, my eyes wide and unblinking. No… It… Couldn't be… I can't bring myself to look away. Only when I hear the loud and high-pitched creak of rusty hinges on his cell door do I look away. A man who I recognize as our case client strides in and slams the door. The claims of paranormal activity must be how he allures his victims. He's probably the _cause_ of any paranormal activity. His snow white hair and white suit he had been wearing when we got there is soaked with the blood of what I assume are the murders associated with the appendages on the table. He isn't a suffering, harmless client, he is a killer. He is holding something in each hand behind his back.

I look between the two men. Naru, who normally would stare down a challenger until he withered away, now will look at nothing but the floor while our client sneers at him, reveling in his handiwork. Our client licks his dry lips before clearing his throat.

"I have another surprise for you, Mr. Davis!" He chimes happily with a sadistic smile on his face. "Care to wager a guess on what-or _whose—_ it is?" Naru says nothing. I can't tell if it's because he refuses to talk to the sick bastard or if he just doesn't have the energy or oxygen to respond. Maybe both. Naru fills the following silence with his ragged breathing. Our client frowns, but quickly smiles again and brings his hands out from behind his back, clutching by the wrists two arms—severed tendons and all— that were unmistakably from a strong male. "Well, surprise!"

I want to throw up again. I feel so helpless; there is literally _nothing_ I can do at this point but watch—or wake up. I inch closer to Naru, even though he can't see me. What is left of my aching heart shatters when I watch tears flow silently down his cheeks, his frightened and pained expression unchanging.

' _Crying is a sign of weakness,'_ Naru's little voice says, _'and only for people who can't manage their own emotions in a constructive way. There is hardly anything I can imagine that truly warrants tears.'_ Oh Naru…

"How about another round, yeah?" Our client suggests as he approaches Naru. He stops only inches from him, chuckling sinisterly to himself. He brings up one of the arms he is clutching and holds it so its loose fist sits just under Naru's chin, taunting him. Naru does not react. This must've frustrated our client because his delighted expression darkens quickly and he harshly jabs the back of the hand into Naru's throat.

* * *

My ears are instantly filled with Naru's screams of anguish. All at once all of my senses are completely overwhelmed and all I can see is darkness again. In the darkness Naru's screams persist, but the tone and decibel of the screams slowly shift. It isn't Naru anymore. It's… Bou-san…? It is definitely Bou-san; I'd recognize his voice anywhere. Why is he screaming?

My vision clears some, but continues to fade in and out, making it difficult to focus. The first thing I see is Bou-san's face contorted in an agony that no one should have to endure. His eyes are bulging, his temple pulsing… And then my vision fades out… Though I continue to hear the screams.

 _In…_ I see Bou-san again, pulling against all of his chain restraints in a vain attempt to escape whatever it is that is making him scream.

 _Out…_ I hear a vicious laugh followed by a sickening _thwack._ A sharp pain shoots through my right arm. Bou-san is screaming again

 _In…_ I see all of Bou-san now. He is hanging from the wall by one arm now. The other is still chained to the wall, just…not attached to his body. Blood is spilling out of the hole where his arm once was. I can see grotesquely torn muscle hanging out of the wound.

 _Out… Thwack._ A shooting pain in my left arm now. More screaming. More laughing.

 _In…_ Our client is standing their laughing uncontrollably, bloody axe in hand, watching the blood gush out of the wounds he inflicted upon poor Bou-san. He is slumped against the floor, choking on his own bile while his arms dangle from the chains. Dying.

 _Out…_ And then there was nothing.

My vision clears completely once more, and I am back in Naru's cell. I collapse onto the floor as I struggle to catch my breath, my arms throbbing. My hearing is filled with a high-pitched ringing for a few moments as I struggle to remain cognizant. I need to see more. I need to stop this from happening. The ringing is replaced by that disgusting laughter again. I manage to look up at Naru, who is now full out sobbing with what little energy he has left. If I wasn't feeling so dazed, I would sob with him. I stare at him, taking in everything that just happened and trying to make sense of it.

All of those appendages… Those belong to my teammates… My teammates were all dismembered one by one… And then that psychotic murderer brought in their body parts to…do what with Naru…? Oh my god. The client beat him so badly before he began the dismemberments that Naru was already unstable and exhausted, so then… While he was at his most vulnerable and could not control himself… That psycho made Naru unintentionally use his psychometry on our friends' appendages. Naru watched all of the people he cares about die. He _felt_ all of them die. One right after the other.

I roll onto my side just in time to vomit again, though it was more like dry heaving because there is nothing left inside me from the last time. I lay still for a few moments, trying to catch my breath. I swallow harshly, the bile burning my throat. Why didn't Naru just use his PK to free himself? He is more than capable of freeing himself! Unfortunately… I think I already know the answer.

' _Seriously, Mai use your brain, however small it is,'_ fantasy Naru sneers inmy head. _'Of course I am strong enough to free myself. But at what cost? I already struggle to control my PK to begin with, so what do you think would've happened had I tried to use it when I was beaten senseless? Nothing good, I assure you. I likely would have killed myself, or everyone else in this god-forsaken place,_ including _all of you. It's lose-lose, Mai. I use my PK and I die, and no one else was saved by my sacrifice. I use my PK and I kill everyone, again, no one is spared. At least by keeping myself alive, there is still a_ chance _something might change. Maybe I can escape and help the others, or perhaps the others could find a way out on their own without being blasted to smithereens…'_

Damn it, why did he always have to be right even when he wasn't around? Still, though… He could've—

' _There is also always the_ slight _possibility that perhaps I was not thinking clearly at the time,'_ he added. Okay, so he would never say that, but it could still very well be true. Naru wasn't _actually_ flawless. I slowly sit up, rubbing my forehead with one hand.

"Now," our client says suddenly, causing me to jump, "it would appear as though there is one friend left…" He flashes a toothy grin at Naru, who immediately tenses up. Shit. He was talking about _me._ "I'll make this one extra special for you, Doctor. How about I bring you the heart this time? Would you like that?" Ironically, my heart skips a beat. For the first time, Naru reacts.

" _Fuck_ you," he seethes in the calmest voice he can muster. He looks at our client straight in the eyes, his usual fire returning to them briefly. Was he really reacting like this because of _me?_ "Leave her alone, you filthy—"

"Tsk-task, Dr. Davis. Such language. Leave her alone, or what? What're you going to do to me, all chained up and on the brink of death yourself?" Both hands shoot to my mouth to catch a gasp. The reality of the situation is starting to weigh down on me: Naru really might die. _I_ might die.

Naru continues to stare daggers at the man. He furrows his brown for a moment, contemplating his next move. Suddenly, before anyone can react, the high-pitched ring fills the room again and the area around Naru becomes impossibly bright.

"No…" I say out loud. "NO! Stop!"

' _I can't hear you, stupid,'_ the little voice quips. This was it. He finally decided to just use his PK, and I already know that it isn't going to help a damn thing. He's too weak to do anything substantial. But he is literally out of other options. The light grows brighter. I can feel all of the energy around me waking up.

" _NARU!"_

But the world disappears into the light.

* * *

I am standing in the empty darkness again, Gene once again in front of me with his back turned. The void was noticeably colder and dread hung in the air like heavy smog. Why did he have to show me all of that? Why did it have to be so thorough? In the time it took to show me all of that I probably could have escaped and saved the day.

"So, are you going to talk to me now?" Silence. My eye twitches. "Gene? Why are you ignoring me?" My voice came out whinier than I would have liked. I tramp toward him impatiently. "Look, if I'm going to have any chance at stopping this…" I drift off as he finally turns his head to look at me. I expected to be met with his usually inviting eyes and warm smile, but to my surprise, his face was stoic. He was not smiling, and his eyes, though still striking, were solemn. I've never seen Gene look so defeated.

"Gene…" he turns around completely to face me, arms crossed. I feel my face go red. I swallow harshly. "Are you mad at me…? Have I done something to upset you? I know I got myself into a…troubling situation…" He blinked. "Gene…?"

"I'm not Gene."

* * *

With a sharp gasp I jolt awake from the worst dream I have ever had, desperate for air. The force of my awakening causes me to swing back and forth by the chains, hitting my head against the wall. The same steady _dripdripdrip_ of blood from before echoes against the stone. My eyes, which were adjusted to the dark, are suddenly violated by light spilling through my now-open cell door. In the door frame I see Naru. Relief flooded through my veins. I _knew_ it was all a dream and just a matter of time.

"Naru! I knew you would—"

I was abruptly cut off by a figure emerging from the light behind him: our client. He flashes me the same toothy smile I saw in my dream. My whole body quivers. The two of them take a few steps forward only to reveal that our client is supporting Naru's full weight and he isn't _walking_ at all. He gives Naru a shove, and his body promptly falls lifelessly to the floor. I stop breathing.

He's dead. _He's dead._ The vacant look in his open eyes confirms it. What has he done…?

He isn't coming to save me.

He isn't going to try and comfort me.

The client stares me in the eyes, which I know are betraying my fear. Without breaking eye contact, he raises his arms, blood-covered axe in hand. The blade glittered briefly in the light from the corridor. After what seemed like an eternity, he swings his arms down in one smooth motion, causing a familiar sickening _thwack_ as he cut through Naru's neck.

I scream.

Laughing maniacally, our client steps over Naru's corpse, which now has a pool of blood spilling from his severed... _I can't even say it._ He slowly saunters over to me. The steady _dripdripdrip_ beside me speeds up. For the first time, I look up. There is a dark shadow, a pool of blood, on the ceiling, that has been dripping blood this whole time. _'Just like the spirits in my dream…'_ There were 6 of them in my dream… Six of my teammates had been murdered… Is this number seven?

Naru?

Had he been there for me this whole time?

He really did care, after all… Why else would he be here with me?

But none of that really mattered once the axe punctured my chest cavity.

 _Thwack._

* * *

 _A/N: This is my first attempt at Ghost Hunt fanfiction, and my first attempt at fanfiction in general for the first time in...probably 8 years. I don't normally write horror/bloody works, but there is a first time for everything!_

 _Also, I'd like to give credit where it is due. Thanks to the tumblr OTP Prompts for inspiring this._

 _I don't own any characters from Ghost Hunt._


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